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[ 0 => '{{Short description|French admiral}}', 1 => '{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}', 2 => '{{Infobox military person', 3 => '| name = François Joseph Paul de Grasse', 4 => '| image = Comte de Grasse par Mauzaisse J Baptiste.jpg', 5 => '| image_size = ', 6 => '| caption = ', 7 => '| nickname = ''Comte de Grasse''', 8 => '| birth_date = {{Birth date|1722|09|13|df=yes}}', 9 => '| birth_place = [[Le Bar-sur-Loup]], [[Provence]], France', 10 => '| death_date = {{Death date and age|1788|01|11|1722|09|13|df=yes}}', 11 => '| death_place = [[Tilly, Yvelines|Tilly]], [[Île-de-France (region)|Île-de-France]], France', 12 => '| placeofburial = [[Church of Saint-Roch, Paris]]', 13 => '| allegiance = {{flagicon|SMOM}} [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of Saint John]] <small>(1734–1741)</small><br />{{flag|Kingdom of France}} <small>(1741–1784)</small>', 14 => '| branch = {{flagicon|Kingdom of France|naval}} [[French Navy]]', 15 => '| serviceyears = 1734–1784', 16 => '| rank = [[Lieutenant général des armées navales]]', 17 => '| unit = ', 18 => '| commands = ', 19 => '| battles = {{Tree list}}', 20 => '* [[War of the Austrian Succession]]', 21 => '** [[Battle of Toulon (1744)]]', 22 => '** [[First Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747)]]', 23 => '* [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]]', 24 => '** [[Battle of Ushant (1778)|Battle of Ouessant]]', 25 => '** [[Battle of Grenada]]', 26 => '** [[Invasion of Dominica (1778)|Invasion of Dominica]]', 27 => '** [[Battle of St. Lucia]]', 28 => '** [[Battle of Martinique (1780)]]', 29 => '** [[Battle of Fort Royal]]', 30 => '** [[Invasion of Tobago]] ', 31 => '** [[Battle of the Chesapeake]]', 32 => '** [[Siege of Yorktown|Battle of Yorktown]]', 33 => '** [[Battle of St. Kitts]]', 34 => '** [[Siege of Brimstone Hill]] ', 35 => '** [[Battle of the Saintes]]', 36 => '{{Tree list/end}}', 37 => '| awards = ', 38 => '| relations = ', 39 => '| laterwork = ', 40 => '| signature = Signature of François Joseph Paul de Grasse (1722–1788).png', 41 => '}}', 42 => '', 43 => ''''François Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, Marquis of Grasse-Tilly''' [[Knight of Malta|SMOM]] (13 September 1722 – 11 January 1788) was a career [[French Navy|French]] officer who achieved the rank of [[admiral]]. He is best known for his command of the French fleet at the [[Battle of the Chesapeake]] in 1781 in the last year of the [[American Revolutionary War]]. It led directly to the [[Siege of Yorktown|British surrender at Yorktown]] and helped gain the rebels' victory.', 44 => '', 45 => 'After this action, de Grasse returned with his fleet to the Caribbean. In 1782 British [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney|Admiral Rodney]] decisively defeated and captured Grasse at the [[Battle of the Saintes]]. Grasse was widely criticised for his loss in that battle. On his return to France in 1784, he blamed his captains for the defeat. A [[court martial]] exonerated all of his captains, effectively ending his naval career.', 46 => '', 47 => '==Early life==', 48 => ''''François-Joseph de Grasse''' was born and raised at [[Bar-sur-Loup]] in south-eastern France, the last child of Francois de Grasse Rouville, Marquis de Grasse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aO0_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA19 |title=The Operations of the French Fleet Under the Count de Grasse in 1781-2: As ... - Google Books |access-date=2017-01-15|last1=Shea |first1=John Gilmary |year=1864 }}</ref> He earned his title <!-- what does this mean? -->and supported his [[Provence|Provençal]] family.', 49 => '', 50 => '==Marriage and family==', 51 => 'Grasse married Antoinette Rosalie Accaron in 1764, and they had six children who survived to adulthood, among them his eldest son [[Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse]]. Auguste had a career in the French army and inherited his father's title as count in 1788. His younger brother Maxime died young in 1773. They had four sisters: Amélie Rosalie Maxime, Adélaide, Melanie Veronique Maxime, and Silvie de Grasse. Silvie married M. Francis de Pau in [[Charleston, South Carolina]], and raised a family with him in New York City.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hkNHAQAAMAAJ&q=''Notice+biographique+sur+l'amiral+comte+de+Grasse+d'apr%C3%A8s+les+documents+in%C3%A9dits.''&pg=PA24|title=The Operations of the French Fleet Under the Count de Grasse in 1781-2: As Described in Two Contemporaneous Journals|last=Shea|first=John Gilmary|date=1864|publisher=Bradford Club|language=en}}</ref>', 52 => '', 53 => 'After his wife Antoinette died young, de Grasse married again, to Catherine Pien, widow of M. de Villeneuve. She also died before him. Thirdly, he married Marie Delphine Lazare de Cibon.<ref name="shea">[https://books.google.com/books?id=hkNHAQAAMAAJ&dq=%27%27Notice+biographique+sur+l%27amiral+comte+de+Grasse+d%27apr%C3%A8s+les+documents+in%C3%A9dits.%27%27&pg=PA24 John Gilmary Shea, ''The Operations of the French Fleet Under the Count de Grasse in 1781-2: As Described in Two Contemporaneous Journals''], Bradford Club, 1864, pp. 22-23</ref>', 54 => '', 55 => 'In addition, while in service in India during and after the [[Seven Years' War]], Grasse is believed to have fathered a [[mixed-race]], French-Indian boy with an Indian woman in [[Calcutta]]. The boy, born about 1780, was known as Azar Le Guen. Grasse brought the boy back to Paris with him for his education and formally adopted him, naming him George de Grasse. After his father's death, the young man went to the United States by 1799, where he settled in New York City. He worked for a time for [[Aaron Burr]], likely meeting him through a connection of his father's. Burr gave him two lots of land in Manhattan, and George de Grasse became a naturalized citizen in 1804.<ref name="kanaka">[https://books.google.com/books?id=3x0-DwAAQBAJ&dq=Francois+Joseph+Paul+de+Grasse+in+Calcutta&pg=PA231 P. Kanakamedala, "George DeGrasse a South Asian in Early African America"], in ''India in the American Imaginary, 1780s–1880s'', ed. by Anupama Arora & Rajender Kaur; Springer, 2017, pp. 228-243</ref> He married well and educated his three children: his son [[John van Salee de Grasse]] was the first African American to graduate from medical school and became a respected physician in [[Boston]]; he served as a surgeon in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The eldest son Isaac became a preacher, and daughter Serena married [[George T. Downing|George Downing]], who became a renowned restaurant entrepreneur and civil rights activist.', 56 => '', 57 => '==Naval career==', 58 => 'At the age of eleven (1734), de Grasse entered the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of Saint John]] as a [[Page (servant)|page]] of the Grand Master. He served as an [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] on the [[galley]]s in battles against the Turks and the Moors.<ref name=Stewart>Stewart (2008), p.95.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=François-Joseph-Paul Grasse|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06728a.htm|website=newadvent.org|access-date=19 May 2015}}</ref> In 1740 at the age of 17, he formally entered the [[French Navy]].<ref name=Stewart/>', 59 => '', 60 => 'He participated in French naval action in India during the Seven Years War. He was intermittently stationed in [[Calcutta]] (now Kolkata), India, from the 1760s to 1781.<ref name="kanaka"/>', 61 => '', 62 => 'Following [[Great Britain in the Seven Years War|Britain's victory over the French in the Seven Years War]], Grasse helped rebuild the French navy in the years after the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)]].', 63 => '', 64 => '==American War of Independence==', 65 => '{{main|Franco-American alliance}}', 66 => '[[File:BattleOfVirginiaCapes.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Battle of the Chesapeake]] (1781), painting from the collections of the [[Hampton Roads Naval Museum]], Virginia, U.S.]]', 67 => 'In 1775, the [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]] broke out when American colonists rebelled against British rule. France supplied the colonists with covert aid, but remained officially neutral until 1778. The [[Treaty of Alliance (1778)|Treaty of Alliance]] established the Franco-American alliance, and France entered the war on behalf of the rebels and against Great Britain.', 68 => '', 69 => 'As a commander of a division, Comte de Grasse served under [[Louis Guillouet, comte d'Orvilliers]] at the [[First Battle of Ushant]] from July 23 to 27, 1778. The battle, fought off [[Brittany]], was indecisive.', 70 => '', 71 => 'In 1779, he joined the fleet of [[Charles Henri Hector d'Estaing|Comte d'Estaing]] in the [[Caribbean]] as commander of a squadron;<ref name="britannica"/> they were operating to counter the Royal Navy of Britain. He contributed to the [[Battle of Grenada|capture of Grenada]] that year, and took part in the three actions fought by [[Luc Urbain de Bouexic, comte de Guichen|Guichen]] against [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney|Admiral Rodney]] in the [[Battle of Martinique (1780)|Battle of Martinique]]. Grasse was promoted to lieutenant-general of the Navy (equivalent to vice-admiral) in March 1781, and was successful in defeating Admiral [[Samuel Hood, viscount Hood|Samuel Hood]] and taking [[Tobago]].<ref name="britannica">[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francois-Joseph-Paul-comte-de-Grasse-marquis-de-Grasse-Tilly "François-Joseph-Paul, count de Grasse"], ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' online, 2003/2018</ref>', 72 => '', 73 => '[[File:Yorktown 1931 Issue-2c.jpg|thumb|right|250px|U.S. postage stamp, 1931 issue, honoring [[Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau|Comte de Rochambeau]], [[George Washington]], and de Grasse, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the victory at the [[siege of Yorktown]], 1781.]]', 74 => '', 75 => '===Battle of the Chesapeake and Yorktown campaign===', 76 => '{{Main|Battle of the Chesapeake|Yorktown campaign}}', 77 => 'Grasse responded to [[George Washington]] and [[Comte de Rochambeau]]'s ''[[Expédition Particulière]]'' when they appealed for his aid in 1781, setting sail with 3,000 troops from [[Saint-Domingue]], where the French Caribbean fleet was based.<ref name="britannica"/> Grasse landed the French reinforcements in Virginia. Immediately afterward he decisively defeated the British fleet in the [[Battle of the Chesapeake]] in September 1781. He drew away the British forces and blockaded the coast until Lieutenant General [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Charles Cornwallis]] surrendered at Yorktown, ensuring the independence of the new [[United States|United States of America]].<ref name="britannica"/>', 78 => '', 79 => '===Battle of the Saintes===', 80 => '{{Main|Battle of the Saintes}}', 81 => 'Grasse returned his fleet to the Caribbean. He was less fortunate in 1782 and was defeated at the [[Battle of St. Kitts]] by [[Samuel Hood, viscount Hood|Admiral Hood]]. Shortly afterward, in April 1782, Admiral de Grasse was again defeated, and taken prisoner by [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney|Admiral Rodney]] at the [[Battle of the Saintes]]. He initially sailed with the British fleet to [[Port Royal, Jamaica]] but after a period of only around one week was permitted to leave on the first convoy to England. Here he was landed on [[Southsea]] beach, allegedly to much applause. In August he was granted an audience with [[King George III]] and was re-presented with his own sword, surrendered to Rodney at The Saintes.<ref>London magazine - August 1782</ref>', 82 => '', 83 => 'He was taken to London for a time. While there, he briefly took part in the negotiations that laid the foundations for the [[Peace of Paris (1783)]], which brought the American Revolutionary War to an end. It also realigned control of some of the Caribbean islands.', 84 => '', 85 => 'Grasse was released to return to France, where he was strongly criticized for his defeat in the Caribbean. He published a ''Mémoire justificatif'' and demanded a [[court-martial]]. An inquiry into the events of the battle started in 1783, ending in 1784 in acquittal for most of the officers involved, including Grasse.', 86 => '', 87 => '==Later life==', 88 => 'Grasse was a Commander of the [[Order of St. Louis]] and a Knight of the [[Order of St. John of Jerusalem]]. He was also a member of the American [[Society of the Cincinnati]].', 89 => '', 90 => 'Admiral de Grasse died at [[Tilly, Yvelines|Tilly]] ([[Yvelines]]) in 1788; his tomb is in the [[Church of Saint-Roch, Paris|church of Saint-Roch]] in [[Paris]].', 91 => '', 92 => '==Family trials==', 93 => 'His grown children from his marriages all emigrated to [[Saint-Domingue]]. His eldest son, [[Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse|Auguste de Grasse]], inherited the title of Comte de Grasse-Tilly. He was stationed in Saint-Domingue in 1789 as a naval officer, and acquired a large plantation and 200 slaves. He was joined by his stepmother and sisters.', 94 => ' ', 95 => 'After the Royal Navy defeated the French fleet there in 1793, during the [[Haitian Revolution]], Auguste was among the officers who surrendered and were allowed to leave. He migrated with his family (including his four sisters who had joined him) and settled for several years in [[Charleston, South Carolina]]. Two sisters died there of [[yellow fever]] in 1799. Silvie, the youngest, married and moved with her husband to New York City.', 96 => '', 97 => 'After returning to France in the early 1800s after [[Napoleon]] came to power, Auguste de Grasse resumed his military career, this time in the army.', 98 => '', 99 => 'In his later years, he wrote a memoir about his father and his own travels in the New World, published in 1840 as ''Notice biographique sur l'amiral comte de Grasse d'après les documents inédits''.', 100 => '', 101 => '==Memorials and honors==', 102 => '[[File:De Grasse in Saint Roch.jpg|thumb|Tomb of de Grasse in the [[Church of Saint-Roch, Paris]]]]', 103 => '*A monument was installed to commemorate Admiral de Grasse and his sailors at the [[Cape Henry Memorial]], [[Joint Expeditionary Base East]], [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]]. It is maintained by the [[Colonial National Historical Park]] of the [[National Park Service]].', 104 => '*A statue of Admiral de Grasse was installed at the riverwalk landing in [[Yorktown, Virginia]].', 105 => '*A statue of Admiral de Grasse is in the Place de la Tour of Le Bar-sur-Loup, the French village where he was born and grew up.', 106 => '*Sometime between 1829 and 1839, [[Heman Allen (of Colchester)|Heman Allen]], a former [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] and [[United States Ambassador to Chile|Ambassador to Chile]], named the [[Grasse Mount]] estate in [[Burlington, Vermont]] after de Grasse.<ref>{{cite news|title=Glimpses of Grasse Mount, Part II|url=http://cdi.uvm.edu/collections/item/vermontalumniweeklyv10n10|newspaper=Vermont Alumni Weekly, Vol. X, No. 10|last=Burridge|first=Pauline E.|date=December 3, 1930}}</ref>', 107 => '*[[A. Kingsley Macomber]], an American resident of France since the end of [[World War I]], commissioned a monument of Admiral de Grasse in 1931 to be placed at the [[Trocadéro|Trocadero Palace]] in [[Paris]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=22644 |title=Herbert Hoover: Message to Dedication Ceremonies for a Monument of Admiral Comte de Grasse at the Trocadero Palace in Paris, France |publisher=Presidency.ucsb.edu |date=1931-05-04 |access-date=2017-01-15}}</ref>', 108 => '*The [[Grasse River]], which flows through [[St. Lawrence County, New York]], and the hamlet of [[Russell, New York#Communities and locations in Russell|Degrasse]] in the Town of [[Russell, New York]], are named for him.', 109 => '*''De Grasse'' was the name of two medium-sized [[SS De Grasse|French Line passenger ships]], one built in 1924 in Scotland, and the other formally the 1956-built ''Bergensfjord'' of Norwegian America Lines, which was introduced in 1971. The first ship was famous world-wide, serving the transatlantic route; it later was used by the Allies as a troop ship in World War II. ', 110 => '<!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:SS De Grasse 1 funnel.JPG|thumb|241x241px|The first ''De Grasse ''(1924) as she appeared following World War II, with one streamlined funnel instead of her original two. This ocean liner was among the most famous in the world at this time.]] -->', 111 => '[[File:GrasseMount 20160508.jpg|thumb|right|[[Grasse Mount]] in Burlington, Vermont, named for Admiral de Grasse]]', 112 => '*The second ''De Grasse'' served the Le Havre–Southampton–West Indies service with little success, as ships were being replaced by the airlines. She was sold off in 1973.<ref>William H. Miller Jr., ''Picture History of the French Line'', Dover Publishing, 1997.</ref>', 113 => '', 114 => '===Other vessel names===', 115 => 'The [[French Navy]] has named two vessels in his honour:', 116 => '* An [[French cruiser De Grasse (C610)|anti-aircraft cruiser]] (in service from 1956 to 1973).', 117 => '* A [[French frigate De Grasse (D 612)|first-rank frigate]] of the [[Tourville-class frigate|F67 type]].', 118 => '', 119 => 'The [[United States Navy]] has had three vessels named in his honour:', 120 => '* {{USS|Comte de Grasse|DD-974}}, a large multi-role destroyer of the {{sclass|Spruance|destroyer|4}}. (commissioned 1978, decommissioned 1998).', 121 => '* [[USS De Grasse (AK-223)|USS ''De Grasse'' (AP-164/AK-223)]], a {{sclass|Crater|cargo ship}} used during [[World War II]] (1943–1946).', 122 => '*{{USS|De Grasse|ID-1217}}, a patrol boat used in 1918.', 123 => '', 124 => '{{Portal|United States|North America|France|Biography|American Revolutionary War}}', 125 => '', 126 => '==References==', 127 => ''''Citations'''', 128 => '{{Reflist|30em}}', 129 => ''''References'''', 130 => '* [[Georges Lacour-Gayet|Lacour-Gayet, Georges]], ''La Marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XV'' (Paris, 1902).', 131 => '* Lewis, Charles Lee. ''Admiral de Grasse and American independence''. Arno Press, 1980.', 132 => '* Stewart, William (2009) ''Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present''. (McFarland). {{ISBN|9780786482887}}', 133 => '', 134 => '==External links==', 135 => '{{commons category|François Joseph Paul de Grasse}}', 136 => '* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06728a.htm "Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse"], ''Catholic Encyclopedia''', 137 => '* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Grasse, François Joseph Paul, Comte de|volume=12|page=369}}', 138 => '* [http://greatcaricatures.com/articles_galleries/gillray/galleries/html/1782_0602_rodney.html "1782 Caricature of De Grasse, Admiral Rodney and King George III"] by James Gillray', 139 => '*[http://www.ouramericanhistory.com Spanish and Latin American assistance to de Grasse in the Yorktown Campaign], Our American History', 140 => '*[http://www.nps.gov/came/ "Admiral Comte de Grasse Memorial"], National Park Service, Cape Henry, Yorktown, VA ', 141 => '* [http://www.luminarium.org/eightlit/cowper/colubriad.htm [[William Cowper]] poem, "The Colubriad"], published 1806', 142 => '', 143 => '{{American Revolutionary War|state=collapsed}}', 144 => '{{Authority control}}', 145 => '', 146 => '{{DEFAULTSORT:Grasse, Francois Joseph Paul, Marquis De Grasetilly, Comte De}}', 147 => '[[Category:1722 births]]', 148 => '[[Category:1788 deaths]]', 149 => '[[Category:People from Alpes-Maritimes]]', 150 => '[[Category:Burials at Saint-Roch, Paris]]', 151 => '[[Category:Counts of France]]', 152 => '[[Category:Grasse]]', 153 => '[[Category:French marquesses]]', 154 => '[[Category:French Navy admirals]]', 155 => '[[Category:French people of the American Revolution]]', 156 => '[[Category:People who were court-martialed]]', 157 => '[[Category:History of Îles des Saintes]]', 158 => '[[Category:Knights of Malta]]' ]